A Clever Fascination

Chapter 36 - A Question of Two Riddlers

Kit, in her frustration, silently reached the bottom of the stairs with a frown on her face. She was thinking and, though aware enough to keep her movements completely noiseless, stuck in her head yet again. The detective needed her own questions answering. She felt almost renewed by the plan she was cooking up. Kit had to take her own words seriously and ruin yet another of The Riddler's schemes.

The door Ed had shown her to yesterday looked no different. It creaked a bit if she remembered rightly, so she would have to be slow and steady as she twisted the small lock on the doorknob. Kit didn't let it 'click' as a lock normally would, she guided it slowly as she had practised many times when she silently locked her bedroom door as a teenager. She hadn't thought at that age that her parents inability to give their child privacy would come to be so useful at times. Not really a good way. It just made her a better liar, a sneakier person and extremely private. Kit tried to use those traits in good practise.

The smell of blood hit her again as she slinked onto the first step that lead down into that holding cell. Kit quietly pulled the door closed, trusting that the lock on the outside was manual only and she wouldn't be trapped.

Kit had gotten the first door closed with no more than a tiny creak. Then, she made her way down the steps and repeated her actions on the second door, though far less ceremoniously. She didn't think it wise to give the door her attention when Jonathan Crane was sitting, bound, right in front of her.

He didn't speak first. Perhaps Zsasz had done a real number on him though there wasn't any fresh blood on his face. He was in bad shape, however. Covered in bruises and wheezing as he breathed. The look on Crane's face was expressionless, as if the pain wasn't getting to him. It could have been an act, given that the detective had just walked in, but he likely had an unreal tolerance for physical pain. People with similar conditions to the ones Kit believed Crane to have, often had very high pain thresholds.

His head raised a little as Jonathan Crane met Kit's eye.

"Hello, Detective. Have you snuck down here?" He peered around her as if waiting for her to be followed, before she turned and closed the second door behind her self. "You have. Why is that?"

"Doctor. I have a few questions about Edward, if you don't mind." She crossed her hands over her front, like she would if working.

"I'll answer your questions but you must know, I'm going to take the first opportunity to turn you against him." Crane's mouth spread into a smile. It wasn't particularly malicious, surprisingly, leading Kit to believe he was possibly delirious.

"I appreciate the honesty but I'm not really on his side. Do you know much about him? The way he is?" She leant back against the far wall.

Crane didn't unnerve Kit as much as either of them had thought he would. Perhaps her determination outweighed the memory of his crooked smile as she screamed in terror. She kept her distance, yes, because she wasn't an idiot. But he didn't frighten her. That was what he wanted, after all.

"He's remarkably arrogant and I haven't liked him since day one but I have to respect what he does. He's brilliant, when he wants to be. What did you want to know, in particular?" In all honesty, that was more of a response than Kit thought she was going to get. She assumed he would try to bargain even a little. He might yet.

The woman folded her arms and watched as he shifted in the chair. It didn't look comfortable.

"I'm surprised to hear you say you have any respect for him at all," She thought out loud. "Edward seems to be in two minds sometimes. I was wondering if you'd noticed? Or if you know anything about that?"

"If you're talking about his personality disorder, then yes, of course. Those of us that were in Arkham with Nygma know he's two jerks for the price of one. You mentioned it, in my lab, remember? That's funny though, two minds. Subtle." He, once again, grinned at her, this time wincing as the cuts on his lips tore with the smile.